The present invention relates to a fish device commonly used by electricians for snaking wires through existing stud walls. Wires such as electrical house wiring, telephone lines, thermostat wire, TV cables and alarm system cables are all located and positioned, by pulling, during house construction and especially during remodelling.
One of the problems with conventional fish tapes is that they are intended to be used in conduits and are therefore too flexible to be used in stud frame housing. Commercially available fish tapes, as currently fabricated for the trade, are of fixed length of either 50' or 200' and can only pull wire from one direction.
Fish members are not currently chosen to have the proper flexibility over a longer length. Commercially available fish members will more than likely be too flexible, resulting in coiling when an obstruction is encountered. Plaster, fiberglass insulation, and even sawdust are examples of obstructions likely to be encountered in existing structures. No one fish ever seems right for all of the tasks of a total job. The result is that fish members are often too flexible to use with existing stud walls and are not suitable to accommodate different snaking operations.
Another problem with fish devices is that they tend to twist due to their flexibility. Usually, the electrician finds that it is difficult to direct the fish in a particular direction, because it tends to move, twist or become snagged on the walls.
Also, many fish are constructed from metals, such as steel, iron or aluminum, in order to provide strength for narrow cross-sectional configurations. In electrical work, such conductive materials pose an unwanted electrical hazard.
One of the objects of the present invention is to construct a fish from sections that can be assembled to different lengths, and wherein the constructed length of fish will have the desired flexibility over a wide range of lengths.
Another object of the invention is to provide a fish that can be universally applicable for a wide variety of jobs.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a fish that can be either pulled, as are conventional fish, or pushed in any direction through existing stud walls.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semi-rigid member that is resistant to coiling upon encountering obstructions in existing stud walls.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a fish that can be assembled to accommodate different job length requirements, but whose sections are of a convenient length for storage, transportation and handling.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a fish having sufficient strength, non-conductivity and flexibility for a wide variety of jobs.